India videos

Simon our Indian resident friend who rode with us has now published his own blog. Here is a link to his thoughts and he has also posted two videos of us riding which can be found on youtube at these locations

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B2eIRkJtSE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFiC3vCiXxM

http://blog.travelpod.com/members/simonchegwyn

 

India day 21 and home

Well folks we are home now and work looms tomorrow.

But to catch up on the last couple of days. Following the last day at the Hotel Amrit Villa we took a taxi to the Vassant Continental and they were a little surprised at the state of me when I asked to check-in. Was wearing a very dirty t-shirt and all bearded and worn looking. The Monsoon has really come down on Saturday and the news was reporting wide spread flooding around the city. They reckon 30% more rain fell that day and it was the heaviest rain for 10 years. Anyway we had beer and went swimming in the rain.

Evening meal was at a restaurant called Barbecue Nation where we grilled the food at our table. Very cool and very filling. The food was with Simon and his Indian friend Freddie. Freddie had a sari made for Alison whilst we were travelling and he had done a brilliant job and as soon as I saw it I knew she would love it. Silk and her favourite colour (Purple).

Now I was struggling a little bit with toothache and my gum was quite swollen around my crown. I suspected an abscess or similar but with only hours to go till the plane I was going to sort it out in the UK. Now Freddie released I was I pain and dosed up on Paracetamol. He phoned a doctor he knows from the restaurant (at 8pm) and passed the phone to me, I explained the problem. Freddie and him then chatted in Hindi and he wrote down on the placemat a prescription for anti-biotics and pain killers. When we left the restaurant we went to a 24hr chemist and obtained the drugs which I started there and then. By morning swelling was down and pain was virtually gone. As I write this at home everything is sorted but still have 3 more days of anti-biotics left. How cool was that experience? Something always come along in India.

So the next morning we had breakfast with Simon said our goodbyes and went to airport in an Ambassador Cab

The flight home was Ok and landed slightly early. Collected the car and went home. Surreal as its sounds we both commented how it doesn't actually like we have been away. Anyway family was glad to see me, got myself a good cup of coffee and as I was still on Delhi time went to bed (with snuggles).

I plan to put a good selection of photos on Facebook as an album but as I have 12GB of photos and video it will take a while. Andy has already posted a few.
say now India is a truly incredible place and if you ever get the chance to visit do not waste that opportunity. INCREDIBLE INDIA

 

 

 

Day 17 - 20

Day 17 - Wake up at our leisure and go down to the pool and order breakfast. We decide to spend the lounging around and at sunset we will go to the Golden Temple. So the day is spend swimming, reading, sleeping and generally doing nothing.

At about 6pm we jump into an auto (Tuk Tuk) and go down town it takes about 15mins through the traffic to reach the right part of town. We give our flipflops in and buy a orange headscalves (20R) and make our way towards the temple. We go through a foot bath where I am challenged by a great big Sikh guard with a spear. "Do you have any tobacco or cigarettes?" he roars, "no" I squeak I don't smoke. and with that he smiles and I enter the temple. Inside I can see the lake and the Golden Temple in the middle. The place is busy with many hundreds of worshippers walking around. Now I had imagined the temple complex to be considerably bigger than it actually is. The lake is about 2 football pitches and the golden temple sits in the centre connected by a walkway. The temple is impressive and a spectacle. The queue to get to the temple by pilgrims was never ending. We walked around the outer complex. Some worshippers were bathing in the holy waters, some with their daggers strapped to the turbans. The loud speakers were chanting prayers out.
Occasionally people would come up to us and ask where we were from and ask to have their picture taken. These people were being welcoming to their temple. We took as many photos as we liked. We walked to the holy feeding centre where they serve between 10,000 to 20,000 free meals a day to anyone who wants one. We did not go into the dining hall but from outside we could see those going in and coming out. Never ending. There was any army of volunteers washing up. Our German friends managed to get into the kitchen and said there was 2500L vats of Dall and rice pudding. Very impressive and this is all funded by the temple.

So after spending some time around the temple and watching the sun set over it we left recovered our shoes and walked into the town. We found a Domino's pizza shop and decided to have pizza for tea. No meat in this pizza shop. An auto took us back to the guest house to relax by the pool.

Day 18 -19

We left Amritsar, it was sad to leave the oasis of calmness and enter the silliness of Indian roads. We left by the main highway. Usual stuff fighting the autos, rickshaws, mopeds, trucks, cows etc. We turned off the main highway to take a more scenic route. Not my idea as I wanted to stay on the main trunk road but went with the decision. Actually the NH71 was calmer than the main road and in fact was a great road to return back to Delhi. We cruised along not really caring how or where we go to. When it came time to find a hotel.....could we find one.....no. It was another 50km on in a small town called Sangrur where we found a cheap hotel. 600R=£6 and the bikes were kept in the hotel lobby. The hotel was a bit grim but at least we had a cute baby gecko running around the bathroom. We all shared a room. We had a meal at a restaurant across the road - Curry of course 270R=£2.70 for three meals inc drinks.

Early rise bikes out of the lobby and on the road, easy drive now into Delhi. Now you know I mentioned the cute Gecko....about 45 minutes into the ride we stopped for Chi and I thought I felt something move in my boot. I took off my boot and you guessed it a disfigured gecko...oops, must have climbed into my boot during the night.
Anyway we carried on and it was fairly easy. Well easy until we got to Delhi. We entered the city of ultra silliness. OMG, it took a while but we got to the hotel and I was glad to be stepping off the Enfield.
We booked in and showered, quick curry and off to bed and some heavenly sleep.

Day 20
We woke up late and the reception wanted to know if we were coming down for breakfast?
Simon arrived about 10.30 and following a drink rode the bikes back to Lallis workshop. (no helmets, shirt sleeves and flip flops - Indian style bike protection)
We sorted all the paperwork out and got our deposits back. I was charged for a crack on the pannier frame which needed welding.
We then jumped on the Delhi Metro system and went into Old Delhi. Well I thought new Delhi was crowded and noisy......triple this and make the streets narrower. Its hell, you spend more time sat in traffic than moving. So we went to see various markets and they took down all the back streets to look at the shops. Why do they need 50 shoe shops all next to each other all selling the same thing????? Who is buying multi-coloured flip flops everybody is wearing old dirty one or none at all.

We went to the Jamal Mosque in the centre of Old Delhi. This for me was the worse experience of the whole adventure and personally feel disgusted by the way tourists are treated in a house of God. I shall explain.
Firstly as we entered we removed our shoes and were told it was a 300R=£3 entrance fee. When I asked why the Indians were not paying they told me Indians go in free. Turns out the fee was to take in a camera and not an entrance fee. So we walked around admiring the view where we were accosted by youths wanting English coins for their collections.....They got told to politely sod off.
I got surrounded by a group who wanted to ask questions and take a photo but one deliberately stood on my foot (maybe a distraction but the whole encounter put me on edge) and I got out of there.
We then were going to go up one of the minuets to see the view of the city, that was another 100R=£1. At the bottom of the minuet we were told to leave our shoes and then climbed the narrow staircase to the top. Wow it was a view but it was packed. A small crowd of boys had had followed us up. We were packed in tight. Very conscious of pick pockets I noticed one of the boys hands going for Andy rear trouser pocket. I challenged him and the other boys and started taking pictures of them. The one who had gone for Andy disappeared down the stairs very quickly. That for me was the experience ruined so I went down and decided to leave. When I go to my shoes I was fuming....The boy there wanted 50R for looking after the shoes. I told him he was not getting a penny picked up my shoes and walked away. I went to the main courtyard and waited for Andy and Simon who both had told the boy 'where to go'. We left to get back to our cycle rickshaws and the man who charged us on the way in wanted the tickets back, needless to say I did not speak to him either and walked away.
Disgusted and after the experience of the Golden Temple, I will never go back to Old Delhi Mosque. They have a few things to learn from other famous Mosques in world. If I knew who to write to complaint I would.
The rickshaw drivers then showed to a great little place where we bought the last of our presents and then a whistle stop tour of the Red Fort and we were back at the Metro Station.

Two rickshaws 3 hours and gave them 1000R=£10 but they did work for it. We gave them the money out of sight of there boss. Andy at the Metro station had a street shave by a bloke with a chair in the street. Off came that 3 week old beard he had been growing, 50R=50P well spent. It was during this that the rickshaw drivers returned and bought us a cup of Chi - how nice these guys have nothing but stopped and bought it for us - out of the handsome tip we gave them but its the thought that counts. Faith restored and yes the rickshaw driver was Muslim.
Back to Karol Bagh on the Metro with a slight detour (wrong platform). We went out for a chicken dinner and back to the room. Hunger Games on the telly and Skyping home. We have booked a room for the last night in the 5 star Vassant Continental Hotel, we get to us their pool etc for the day. Web check done and Sunday evening we touch down in Blightly Air India AI 111.

 

India Day 15/16 - Amritsar

Day 15/16

Well I am sat writing this in the Garden of Mrs Bandaris Guesthouse in Amritsar. I am sat in a plush green garden under a canopy next to the pool. Birds are chirping and the distance noise of the horns and traffic from the morning rush are a background noise. The guesthouse chipmunks playing on the lawn, a couple of black lab puppies running around. I think I have found my own bit of Indian heaven. The guest house is furnished and decorated 1950’s style, well when I say decorated I mean still in a 1950’s style. Dinner last night was faultless and they have as much Kingfisher as we can drink. Today there is a distinct monsoon feel to the air, its hot and sticky but overcast. (As I type thunder is rolling in this could get interesting. – update 10 mins later its raining – I am now being served coffee in a monsoon, this so feels like being part of the Raj, bloody hell its heavy any and the temperature has dropped considerably)

Back to the blog. Woke up early in Banote nr Jammu packed the bikes, My bike stalled whilst packing and for some reason couldn’t get it restarted. Put the tap on reserve and it started, overnight somebody had drained my fuel, my fuel cap doesn’t lock. Great start to the day. My Achilles Tendon is in agony and it’s all I can do but hobble to the bike. Dirt bike boots are not comfortable. So we get going 120K to Jammu and another 200K+ to Amritsar. We have to climb a mountain and descend down to sea level and Jammu. I fuel up at petrol station and meet a very kind and chatty attendant. We come across a horrendous queue of traffic but because we are bikes we skirt around it. At the front we find a large crowd of people aroujnd a military truck embedded in the side of a TATA truck which is also up against another TATA truck. Basically the overtaker didn’t make it. Hate to think what will happen to him especially taking out a military vehicle. We ride through the crowd parting like the red sea.

We make tracks into Jammu and onto a highway which allows us to put down about 50K before we cross into Punjab. The road conditions change to bad and the driving standards drop to OMG. We fight for every kilometre with truck, coaches, cars and bikes…...hearding ox, cows, the local market set up on the road. There is diversion after diversion, they are obviously building a new highway from the border to Amritsar. We take a closed section of new highway and ride it, it goes to sand and we off road it following the tracks of the locals. We ride past the road workers and nobody bats an eyelid as we past them. The roads are lined with weed, not weeds but WEED. Enough to keep the UK supplied for years. The smell is quite distinctive. We stop at one particular large section and take each other pictures. Wonder what the locals thought!

It’s a hot day and I am sweating, water is running off me and I have drunk a couple of litres of water from my hydration pack. Foot hurts so spend a lot of the time riding with it on the engine crash bar. At 5pm we stop for a drink at a roadside tea stall, we are 30Km from Amritsar. So go into the town and after asking a few locals getting lost on the GPS and generally having a wacky races time we arrive at Mrs Bandaris Guesthouse.

Do you have rooms? Yes came the reply you will be our only guests. How much for a room? 2800R=£28 per night (£10 each). Bargain. We chuck off all the bike kit get supplied with beer, shower and jump in the pool just as it is getting dark. We share the pool with bats who swoop down and drink the water. Eventually we get out and are served with an excellent meal, I have a vegetarian dall and the other two have fish. More Kingfisher beer. (oh and by the way the beer is by the pool with an honesty pad to record what you have drunk.) I go off to bed with coffee and make a call home to let them know I am safe and not with the Taliban. We have been off the grid since we left Leh as the Indian authorities will not allow international calls on our phones and nowhere has WI-FI. Internet cafes don’t exist in Kashmir either. The Indians are taking Kashmir seriously as we have seen a massive troop deployments and army security all along the Line of Control between the two countries.

So back to today its stopped raining now and the pathways are drying off already the temperature is creeping up again. The traffic noise went semi-silent but is now rising again. Simon and Andy got up early and have gone into town to see two other British riders on Enfields who doing the trip the other way round. They have also hired bikes from Lalli Singh. They have an enormous task of doing it in 14 days where as we took 21. They have gone to have breakfast and let them know what to expect (Don’t go to Kargil).

(Oh just ordered Toast, butter and honey for breakfast – with more coffee)

Today is going to be a visit to the Golden Temple of Amritsar and later out to Waggh for the border closing ceremony between the Indian and Pakistani border guards. Going to struggle walking around today.

(Just eaten my toast and the thunder and rain are back. It’s heavy. Might get in the pool? As I am currently the only guest on site I have my own waiter who is just sort of wandering around the covered pool area where I am sat. Ahhhhh the British are back)(got in the pool and swam during the monsoon)

 

So spent the rest of the day lounging around doing nothing including swimming. At 4pm we were collect and taken to the Pakistani/India border crossing of Wagga. There we witnessed the border closing ceremony between the two nations. The pomp and ceremony of the Indian side mixed with a bit of Bollywood style. The Pakistani side seemed take it all to seriously. Excellent spectacle and well worth the trip.

 

So after the evenings entertainment we returned to the hotel for fish curry and our new German friends from Srinagar have arrived at the Guesthouse. We spend the evening chatting about all sorts of things.

Skyped Alison and Kirsty then off to bed.

 

India day 11 - 14

I think I may have made a mistake with the days……

Today is day 11 (10/7) and the big day. We breakfast and get the bikes started and head out for the petrol station. We are not carrying any luggage other than the bike spares and tools. We head out of town and turn for the Nubra Valley and Khardung La. Leh is about 11000ft. We climb out of town and past the entrance to Leh Monastery which dominates the town skyline. The road switch backs on itself time after time. The road is tarmac and as we climb a chill sets in and I notice that slight breathiness. We reach the Police checkpoint where the details of the bikes are taken and the officers remove our copy permit. We stop at a tea stall for Chi and quickly knock out the air filters of dust just to give the bikes a fighting chance. Waterproofs to protect against the cold and winter gloves. The road is busy with Army TATA trucks and tourist taxis. After the tea stop the tarmac has gone but the road continues to climb up and up. The marker posts give the altitude. Its getting cold and the oxygen is really thin. We are stopped by a work crew for a few minutes and over the ridge of the mountain we see a rainbow. We get talking to a couple from Delhi who have flown up to Leh they insist on having pictures with us. The road opens after a short while and we climb until we are stopped again this time a bulldozer is clearing a landslide. It takes about 20 minutes for the driver to push the rubble over the edge. At one point a small creature runs across the road it turns out to be a Himalayan Marmot (bit like a beaver).

Eventually we turn a corner and there is a few buildings and the sign which says Kardung La, Highest Motorable Road in the World 18,380 ft. We have made it. Us and a tourist group of Indians have numerous photos taken with bikes and flags. There is snow in air, it is cold and I am woozy/dizzy and its hard to breath. Everything is too much trouble. Its really busy so we go into the worlds higest café and have tea and biscuits. There is a good layer of snow around the buildings and on top of the ridge is a building where all the prayer flags are connected to. I’m too short of breath to go up there. We all go to the gift shop and buy souvenirs. With all the pictures done we leave and suppose we have been on top 40-45 minutes. Coming down seems much longer than going up, but as we descend the air gets much better. Slowly we get back into town and return to the petrol station and fill up for tomorrow. Its taken a few hours but worth it. Mission accomplished. The rest of the day is spent sorting things out for the ride West.

We go out for Pizza (again) and celebrate our success with a few Kingfisher beers.

Day 12

We leave early settle up the hotel and head West towards Kargil. Its hot and dry and as we leave Leh it turns into an desert. The terrain is not too dissimilar to the Grand Canyon. The roads are good to start with and we make good progress. Scenery is stunning. Canyons and mountains are the norm. The road is busy with tourists and army traffic. The closer we get to Kargil the worst the roads become. The roads are back to the Manali-Leh highway standard.

Eventually we get into Kargil and we find a hotel just off the main road (Hotel D’Zojila). It’s cheap cheap but a right shit hole. Bare wires in the shower, dirty and uncomfortable We are all weary, sunburnt and sweaty. At least it has hot water, well warmish. But we only need somewhere to crash before carrying on to Srinagar tomorrow.  

                                                      Just to the right of this is the Shower

Its Ramadam at the moment and Kargil looks more Muslim from other parts of India so finding dinner could be tricky. We are very close to Pakistan, from looking at the map its only just a short distance to the India/Pakistan Kashmir border. A quick wander into town looking for a restaurant was not fun. There was a distinct atmosphere and we stood out from the crowd. We could not find anywhere to eat so went back to the hotel where we managed to get some basic food. That night we wedged a chair against the door and went to bed early.

Day 13

Up very early to get the hell out of dodge. We left the hotel and fuelled up and got on the road to Srinagar. The road started off very bad. We also encountered massive army convoys going our way and coming towards us. Eventually we reached tarmac and got some miles under our belt. We passed through a town called Drass, that was a very dodgy town and did not feel safe. Luckily managed to keep going. As we cleared the towns we went out into the wilds. As with every other day the scenery was stunning. The lower the altitude the more green the countryside became. The scenery very much like the Alps. The population were very Muslim from the India we had seen so far, from the looks of the place we could have been in Pakistan or Afghanistan.

 

 

We came to a fork in the road and the army directed us up a roadway. We saw a switchback road leading down the mountain and below we saw the refugee camp from the 2006 earthquakes which still exists. It took us a long time to get down the mountain and encountered loads of trucks. The roadway was narrow in places with thousands of feet to fall to a certain death. The Indians were still driving like TWATS.

We stopped for Chi just before Srinagar and then made the nervous trip into the town. (only a couple of weeks ago the army lost 8 soldiers in a shoot out with Islamic Militants.) We rode into the town and found ourselves in between the police and a group of locals, the roadway covered in rocks and bricks, I would asume some kind of 'community tension'. Nobody seemed to mind the traffic flowing through the middle of it.

We were looking for Dal Lake to stay on a house boat. We may our way towards the lake and a motorcycle came up alongside us. The rider was Hanni, he took us the lake and offered us his houseboat. We went to look at it. It was about 30m long 5m wide. The boat was rough looking from the outside but inside was carpeted with

 

ornate furniture. At 600R=£6  each per  night with dinner and breakfast we decided to stay. The boat also had a German couple staying the night.

 

After storing the bikes we boarded and showered and had Kashmir tea. Following dinner we took the owners small boat for a paddle around the lake. Not an enjoyable experience as the boat was very small and unstable. We managed to acquire 4 cans of beer and drunk them after dark on the veranda with the German couple. Bedtime was about 10pm and out like a light.

 Day 14

0240  hours awoken by the local Imam with the call to prayer and to eat before sunrise. 0400  call to prayer still sounding. 0450 get up for boat ride to the Dal Lake fruit and Veg market. Us three plus the German couple all go and watch the morning’s entertainment. The traders are shouting and arguing about prices occasionally water gets splashed. We are pestered by hawkers selling all sorts of wares. The veg market is a really interesting insite into life on the lake and 2hours later we are back at the Sea Queen for breakfast. Coffee, omelettes and toast. We pack up and get a boat to the shore. We say goodbye to the German couple and hope to meet in Amritsar. The boat owner rips us off over the price of the mornings water taxi which for me left a bitter taste.

Once on the road its hard going hot and humid but at least we have tarmac. We are heading towards Jammu. The going is slow and we have to descend through the mountains. Total mileage 160K and one stop by the Kashmir Police. We end up in a dive of a hotel about 125K from Jammu. All of us are knackered from the early morning start. Plan is to have an early night then early start and get into Amritsar for some rest and contact with the outside world. I have a slight pain in my Achilles Tendon which doesn’t help walking up the hill to find dinner. Dinner is chicken curry and chapatti’s. Early night night for an early start over 300K to Amritsar. Forgot to wipe my feet on the way out of the hotel.

India Day 5 + 6 + 7 – Manali to Leh Highway

Sorry no photos each one takes 10 mins to load.

6\7\13 - Early morning start with breakfast whilst packing the bikes. Today we are starting the Manali to Leh Highway. Happy Birthday Kirsty not going to wake her up a 3am so sent the facebook message. Andy has found a missing nut on the rack of his Enfield so we troll around a number of mechanics trying to find a nut to fit. Eventually we find a shop that can help, the chap takes the same nut off his own bike so we can get going. (The kindness of strangers.) Whilst moving around town the one thing happens we feared the most – getting separated. So I park up and wait, within a short time Simon appears and we join Andy on the other side of town.

I notice the small carabineer on my handlebars for my GPS has been nicked – Bugger.

It’s close to lunchtime and we get out of Manali and almost immediately it starts to rain, we stop and kit up in wet weather gear. The first place to go is the Rotang Pass about 13000ft we climb and climb through the clouds switchback after switchback. We hit mud, thick gloopy mud. With coaches and TATA trucks overtaking and coming at us its hard work with a loaded Enfield. We get stuck in a traffic jam, at least 50 vehicles of all sizes just trying to get down. We are stuck and just like on the television one person starts directing the TATA trucks around each other with inches to spare from the cliff edge. We are boxed in and have to wait. I see through the clouds the traffic lined up around the mountain side waiting to get past. We also have our first sight of snow. Eventually we reach top and there of hundreds of locals and tourists skiing, snow mobiles and snowball fights. It seems the in place to be.

Chi at the top then push on down the other side of the pass. Its deserted but the views….Throughout the three days it took to make this ride (300km+) the views were stunning, every corner was a picture postcard or photograph. The Himalayas truly are outstanding and beautiful.

The roads on this highway are another matter. They are a combination of gravel, sand, rocks, water crossings, tarmac, poorer tarmac, potholes, animals, TATA trucks, landslides, cliff edges etc. Some parts are great to ride others are a bitch especially with a loaded Enfield. At one point we got stopped by a road crew and with a few minutes 3 blasts took place. Now I have never been in an explosion but could feel the impact on my chest even though we were some distance away. Cleared to ride on we rode around the bulldozer whilst it cleared the landslide.

After 112 km ride we were close to a place called Tandi. It was 6pm and needed to find a place to camp. I found a place under a bridge a couple of kms up the road. An overlanding vehicle with a German called Fabin was also there. We put up the tents, made a campfire and cooked cous cous. Some young lads found us and asked the twenty questions who why etc. We talked them into cycling into the village and buying us beer and they did for a few Rupees. That night before we retired to the tents we did some star gazing. Never seen the sky so alive with stars, planets, satellites, shooting stars. One of the highlights for me.

I was also having the first signs of altitude sickness (headaches) but as we were up and down passes it wasn’t a big issue. We also had been stopped by the police and details recorded at one the fixed checkpoints.

The next morning we awoke to the sound of cows and when we looked out the herd were drinking from a pool right where our camp fire had been. We were dry. During the bike checks found a broken weld on Andy’s pannier frame which we would need to get fixed. I also had the unfortunate timing of a bit of the Delhi belly (Al Frescio).

Andy’s bike was also a bitch to start but more of that tomorrow. We rode into Tandi and had coffee and Chi. We ordered boiled eggs but on arrival decided not to eat them…dodgy to say the least. Following this we rode into Keylong where Andy had his frame welded up for next to nothing and fixed my other horn which had come loose. I have to say not feeling my best from the altitude and DB I was feeling a little home sick, two minutes on my own and a quick blub, I was ok. The best medicine was some tarmac and the chance to lay down a few miles. The road conditions were as yesterday and went through two static police checkpoints. The riding was very hard and one river crossing was a fast flowing river on a bend on a mountainside, deep and very rocky, we all got through unscathed.

As the altitude went up so did the effects, dehydration, headaches etc. Simons bike was running particularly bad and at high points he was feathering the fuel tap to keep the bike going higher. We stopped for an hour of so whilst Simon took his air filter apart but it didn’t fix the problem. At the real high points 15000ft my Enfield was running like a pig with misfiring. We were running behind and thought we could reach Leh in two days but we were nowhere near Leh. The plan was to ride till 6pm and find a suitable campsite. Well just before 6pm we did but thought we could find somewhere better but found ourselves half way up a mountain not realising it was 15000ft. We crossed the top and rode as fast as we could down the other side which went on for miles. We had done 40km past our stopping point. I saw down below a number of tents and raced down the hillside Dakar style. It was nown gone 7pm and the light was fading. We were at 13000ft and it was a chi stop with beds. I organised us to stay for 500R=£5. So we slept in a Tibetan Yurt with them. They cooked us Maggi noodles and coffee for tea. Our heroes, so as they was no electricity off to bed at darkness. Total milage for the day was 160km and we were about 25km from a place called Pang.

Third day on the Manali to Leh highway. We awoke at first light had coffee and tea, bought some outrageously expensive petrol from the Tibetans and prepared to leave. Andys bike would not start and we could not afford to run the battery flat and you try kick starting an Enfield at 13000ft. We tried bumping it – exhausting. Now we had always been told things sort them out in India. Whilst we are fannying about 8-10 Enfield’s rode past on an organized trip from Delhi. One stopped and so did a taxi. Out jumped this man with a tool box and started fixing the Enfield's foot rest. We went over. Turned out he was from a workshop in Delhi two streets away from Lalli Singhs. He set to work on Andy’s bike changing the plug and diagnosing the exhaust valve had closed its gap and would not have started in a month of Sundays. He whipped off the adjustment cover and within minutes had Andy’s bike running. Best two quid we spent that day. The altitude was causing problems with my bike and Simon was still having fuel issues. (Just a reminder this is all in the most stunning scenery)

We eventually made it to Pang for breakfast then more altitude onto the Moray plains. WOW.

From the plains which was a ride of sand, gravel and tarmac (awesome) we went up Taglang La at about 16000 ft and around the world’s highest roundabout. At quick photo shoot and down the other side switchback style to the run in to Leh. Andy and Simon had both switch to reserve fuel and used the expensive petrol. I have an enormous touring tank which takes gallons. So we had to find fuel and that is not easy. Village after village we passed through had none. Eventually getting to the Jummu and Kashmir border. Another police checkpoint and out of county bike tax 20R=20p.

17km further on was fuel at Karu. We found it and fuelled and rode on semi good roads into Leh. Went to a luxury hotel (Hotel Dragon with internet access, secured yard). Two rooms about £50 per night all in with food. Had a shower and washed 3 days of grime off, got changed and into town for a meal. Had Chicken curry, rice and nan. Now it’s a bit dry here and we managed to get beer but it could only be ordered as special tea and served in teapots with glasses covered by napkins. I did not take part as dehydrated and suffering a little. Alcohol would not have helped.

Managed to Skype Alison and the girls for a while in between power cuts then off to bed. The beds are as hard as a pool table and it wasn’t the best nights sleep but I was so knackered.

Day 8 (today) was a day off a bit of shopping, permits for Khardung La, blog writing and bike servicing. Really feeling the altitude effects, its only 11000ft headaches, slight nose bleed and breathless. Had a few dizzy spells during the bike servicing. Found a nice place for tea tonight, all ready for tomorrow and Khardung La.

India day 4 + 5

Up early and Andy disappeared off to the shipping agent whilst Simon and I sorted the room out. By the time we were ready to go it was 1100. We started the day by taking the wrong road and having to retrace our steps. The roads were wet. The roads changed from immaculate tarmac to gravel roads. The usual India road users were out and about. The bends in the roads allowed good exit from the corners and plenty of vision therefore making the riding fairly easy. At 1300 we stopped for Chi and Andy had been in collision with a swarm if insects one of which committed suicide on his face leaving body parts imbedded in his skin. All sorted very quickly.

After Chi we set off again and passed through a couple of towns which appeared to be bases for the TATA trucks. There weres hundreds of them. All this riding was by the way was in fantastic picture postcard scenery. We eventually hit a town called Mandi where we crossed a river on a bit of an old fashioned bridge. After this we crossed the top of a hydro-electric dam and onto a road carved into the hillside. So on our left was a rock wall and our right a drop into a river leading to the dam. The road was one of the best and were able to see far ahead and overtake as much as we liked. At about 1700 we stopped for Chi again and we saw a footbridge so had to go and take photos, it was a bit wobbly.

We pressed on knowing that sunset was 8pm. We got this info from a group of Enfield riders from Mumbai whom we stopped and chatted with earlier in the day. At about 25 miles from Manali the light was fading fast and the roads were getting bad, we had said we would not ride in the dark for any reason. It was huge relief getting to Manali and being stopped at the town taxiation point. All non out of state vehicles must pay a tax of 100R =£1.

We rolled into Manali and chose the first hotel we came to, Hotel New Shivalik. 1340R=£13 for three of us one room. Quick shower and change and off into town for a curry and the non alcohol restaurant soon found beer for us at a price. Good food and good beer. Then off to the Khyber bar for beer and cocktails. Slept well I can say.

5/7  Woke up to find we are surrounded by a mountain, the sides are covered by pines trees (very Alpy) and the top obscured by cloud. We walked into town and had breakfast. We then made enquiries with the local tourist offices about permits. We filled out the permission forms and paid the 100R cost to be issued with permit forms to cross the Rotang pass. We then befriended a shoe cleaner called Sanjay who took us to a parts shop/fabricator to make a new horn bracket which had snapped off. We noticed this during our morning bike inspection.

With that done it was then onto an internet café for updates on the internet. Only when we left did I find out they had Wi-Fi and could have downloaded this blog. We then bought a drink and sat on the main street people watching. We were close to a ATM and I saw a man go to the ATM we had a quick conversation and it transpired it was Simon Gandolffi the author from one of the Horizons meetings. I have also read his book ‘one man and his bike’. Sanjay joined us and chatted about the UK and India for over an hour.

Evening Meal was Chinese and beer where raised a glass to Kirsty's 20th birthday

(sorry again no photos uploading issues with Kasmir wifi)

India day 3 + 4

5am the alarm rings and its time to get up. Delhi heat is full on. Quick shower and get changed into the bike gear. The porter brings in toast and coffee. We load up the bikes and at 6am Simon arrives along with the guide. Bikes are loaded, hydration packs filled and we are under way from the hotel. The Delhi roads are quiet compared to the previous days. The guide escorts us through the city to the ring road and onto National Highway 1 (Grand Trunk Road North). Both Andy and I notice the weight distribution of bags needs to be looked at as the bike wobbles at low speed.

So off we trundle up the NH1 at about 70kph. Its quiet to start but gets busier. We had been warned about the road and how dangerous it was. Well it’s a road that requires full attention 100% of the time. Any non-concentration could result in death. The road is as wide as the M25 with shops on the hard shoulder, traffic coming in the wrong direction, pedestrian crossings, various farm animals and anything else you can imagine. Even we saw a nice looking tea stop, turned around and drove back down the hard shoulder. Amazing experience but got even trickier when the road went to diversions….Imagine the M25 being directed off onto a cross roads with no traffic lights or roundabout.

We made good progress out of Delhi and the scenery turned to paddy fields, farming and the odd village. Speed bumps are placed before the village which not good on an Enfield all loaded.  At a tea stop we repositioned the luggage making the ride better. 

Now the plan was to spend two days getting to Chandigarth (foot hills of the Himalayas) then another day to Shimla. We made such good progress due to the road improvements we reached the outskirts of Chandigarth by lunch. We stopped at a drive thru MacDonald’s (just for a drink, ice cream and the AC). We made the decision to go for Shimla. Chandigarth was horrendous but managed to get on the expressway and powered out of the city and started to climb. OMG we saw in front of us the Himalayas, one of the most amazing sites I have ever seen. They have built the Himalayan expressway and oh how I wish I had my own bike the bends were at race track standard.

We stopped as the expressway ended and had photos. We had about 100Km to Shimla so off we went bend after bend after bend. Some of the most amazing riding I have ever done. The bends have to be watched with tourist jeeps, TATA trucks and buses overtaking two a breast on the bends. Only once was I put off the road. Also have to watch for pedestrians, monkeys, cows, rocks, cars shops actually just about anything you can imagine.

We stopped for Chi and a Indian man from Manchester paid our bill as a welcome to India. The staff then tried to rip us off by saying we owed 100R (£1). We told them to sod off and didn’t leave a tip.

At about 5pm we rolled into Shimla after the best riding I have ever done, overtaking, sheer drops and bends to die for. (Teapot one – Bruce when you get here go to Shimla you will love it)

So at the end of the first days riding we had done 250 miles and climbed to 7000ft.

We rocked up to the most posh looking hotel we could find. From everywhere we were accosted. Simon found someone offering a cheap room. So we followed him to the Gulmarg Regency Hotel. 1450R=about £15 for a room for 3. Underground secure parking and the room is wood panelled with a mirrored ceiling. Nicknamed ‘shag palace’. Quick shower and change and off into town but the monsoon was in full swing. Wearing macs we had to buy umbrellas because the rain was so heavy and found a local eating house. Fried chilli chicken and nan bread. So cheap.

Got soaked going back and I mean soaked. At the hotel and bed, long day and all knackered. Our hotel room was on the second floor but because Shimla is built on the side of a mountain the second floor is down and not up. No windows in our room.

The next morning we all woke up at 10am. Had coffee and then went out into Shimla to explore the town. We went to Wall Rd which is like the main High Street. We saw the old colonial building’s left behind after the Raj. We walked to another part of the town and had lunch in a small café. In the afternoon we explored the other half of Wall Road. Andy found a shipping agent and decided to ship some of his excess kit and clothing back to the Delhi hotel to help stabilise his bike.

That evening we found a bar and the first beer of the trip. The bar overlooked Wall Road and we ordered curry with our Kingfishers. A great evening was had and we walked back to the hotel to get some sleep ready for the ride to Manali tomorrow.

 Sorry no pics but they just won't upload.

 

India day 2

So much to tell you about today blog fans.
Overnight it was incredibly hot. The AC in our room sounds like a generator so we turned it off just to be able to go to sleep. We are now on Delhi time and slept for 10 hours.

Breakfast in the room brought by the friendly staff at the hotel. (I only think they are friendly as I over tipped them on the first day 100R=£1, normal tip is 10R=10p)

Went to Lallis workshop at Indermotors and finally met the man himself. Sorted out some of the paperwork and one of his men took us for a ride into central Delhi. Mental, but the most exciting ride I have ever been on. Andy nearly had an incident with the Royal Air Force, I'm sure he will explain but he's safe. We went right into the heart of official Delhi and saw the Parliament buildings and in the distance India Gate. But no time to sight see when riding in Delhi. Once we got back the spares and tools we are taking were explained to us and we had a full course on how to mend the Enfield with a hammer and gaffer tape. (I have the Gaffer tape). Lalli has sat us down and explained the rules of highway driving in India and how the locals treat the highways. Needless to say we listened intently and took it all on board. (basic concept: expect the unexpected, avoid big things that hurt)  The mechanics fitted my GPS power lead and after we had finished the 'Borrowing' agreement (cannot hire motorbikes without an official licence) we had the Pooja ceremony. Lalli said prayers to the god Ganesh and garlands were placed on the bikes and we all shared a sweet rice dish.(Even the bikes). Incense was burnt on the handlebars. The bikes were then delivered to the hotel.

We then went off into Delhi on the Metro. We had decided to go and see all the places we had seen earlier but on foot. Well we got a bit lost and found ourselves quite a walk from central Delhi so we got into an 'auto' (Tuk Tuk). The driver agreed to take on a tour of the sights (300R=£3). Excellent tour but had to endure the family carpet shop routine......We don't have any carpets.

                                          India Gate - memorial to the war dead.

We ended up at a shopping Plaza we visited last night but today there was so many beggars. Lots of little children but it has been explained to us not to pay them as the children are passed around to beg. (Fagin style).

So anyway back at the hotel. Coffee and water (3lts today). We are going to a recommended chicken restaurant tonight which all the locals go to. We are going to pack up later ready for a 6am start to get out Delhi before the heat really gets going.

Sometime later.....

 

 Been out to the restaurant and had a full chicken dinner with Andy and that came to £7.  Bags are packed and we are skyping home and facebooking etc.

Will update the blog from somewhere north of India over the next couple of days.

 

 

.

Day 1 Delhi

Well we arrived safe and sound on India Air. We were collected as arranged and taken to the hotel. Hotel is good and a little haven from the madness of Delhi.
The city is hot, noisy, smelly and very overcrowded. The place is cheap to live but poverty is everywhere. Found a Macdonalds for lunch (they don't sell burgers)
We met Simon this afternoon and discussed the trip.
So early night tonight and tomorrow we meet Lalli Singh to sort out the bikes. Its gonna be a good trip.

A couple of photos from the streets around the hotel

India D-Day -5

Well 5 days to go before we head off to India. Simon flew out yesterday and we should see him on Monday in Delhi. In the mean time we are packing and sorting out the last few bits. I am hoping the hydration pack I ordered from Lincoln turns up in the next couple of days.

I have taken over the lounge will all my kit laid out ready to pack at the end of the week. Two days left at work (Can't be arsed).

The most essential parts to travel in India are included.....The toilet roll back right of the picture and the boxes of diarrohoea pills (next to the t-shirts). Everything I take I have to carry, so on the left is my riding gear and the bag can be packed down into my second bag. The second bag is then going to be strapped onto the bike. Before you ask only 3 pairs of pants...A bit risky but hey the whole trip is a bit risky.

 India news update
Currently there is a few environmental and political issues in India, firstly the newspapers out there are reporting strikes by Air India....bugger. The monsoon rains are causing major flooding north of Delhi and today I see the east side of Delhi has actually had some flooding. Another 4 days of heavy rain expected. Media is reporting 1000 dead in the Himalayas.
Today in Srinagar the army had a shoot out on the east side of the town with some militants. 4 soldiers are dead. The Indian PM is due in Srinagar tomorrow.

Hopefully the next update will be from India.
See you all soon
Geoff

Indian Himalaya trip

 

Blog Extra News

Since me and Andy came back from Russia we have discussed the idea of going to India. We decided to organise our own Himalya trip. One objective to get to this point.

                                                         (source Google images)

This is Khardung La just outside Leh near to the line of control in Kashmir. Its 18000 feet above sea level.

So planning has been taking place since Christmas. We have two seats on an Air India flight from Heathrow to Delhi.
We have organised two 500cc Royal Enfields from Inder Motors (Lalli Singh) which are all booked.

We have a hotel booked near to Lalli's workshop for the first two days and the last day.

International driving licences and visas have been obtained at considerable cost. (£100)

So we go in three weeks and it looks like we will be joined by Simon. Simon is from Plymouth and a avid adventurer (motorcycle and cycle). We met him at the Horizons event last year when he was presenting on India and America.He will be in Delhi at a volunteering project and had decided to join us. We should meet him in Dehli on his Honda Hero 150.

This is what we are expecting:

 

 

(Source from Horizons Unlimited)

 

Keep an eye on the blog from 29th June as I will be posting from the road. I will endevour to update Facebook and Twitter.

 

New ride

BLOG NEWS

Well the BMW has not been running its best recently. A hefty repair bill of £430 was enough to start thinking about trading up. Anyway went to Derbyshire two up with Mrs G to the Horisons Unlimited HUBB event without incident. But that proved I needed to trade up when Andy had to carry some of the luggage.
So I have bought a XT1200Z Super Tenere from Alford Brothers in Folkestone.

Very please with it and have orderd a couple of bits to 'farkle' it up.

Met the Wandering Waltons at the HUBB which sealed the deal Yamaha for me.

Bike update in due course when all done.